Electronic cigarettes typically comprise an atomizer to vaporize a solution containing nicotine commonly known as e-liquid, a battery to power the atomizer, and a reservoir or a tank to contain the e-liquid for atomization. In many embodiments of electronic cigarettes, the tank also comprises an atomizer and a mouthpiece.
In current electronic cigarette designs there is a problem in that replenishing the tank with the e-liquid may be a difficult process. As the e-liquid may contain levels of nicotine that are detrimental to health, contact with skin is not advisable. Furthermore, the e-liquid may have a high price, and therefore users of the electronic cigarette do not wish to waste e-liquid unnecessarily through accidental spillage. Users also wish to be able to open and close the tank or replace the tank in a simple manner without needing to resort to pliers or other external tools.
Common designs for the tank consist of a body with a cap at one end that may be unscrewed or detached in order to refill the tank with the e-liquid, and a screw fixture at an other end of the body for attaching the tank to the battery in order to replace the body if necessary, for example due to damage or accumulation of dirt and residues, as taught in USPTO publication number 20160227837.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the one end and the other end may not be diametrically opposed, but may be placed on adjacent sides or at any angle to each other, and in the current disclosure a use of the terms “one end” and “other end” should not be read to limit the present disclosure.
In conventional designs featuring a screw threaded attachment there is a risk that on removing the cap from the body of the tank, the body may inadvertently be removed from the battery, and similarly removing the body from the battery may result in inadvertently removing the cap from the body and possibly spilling e-liquid. Therefore a need exists for an improved tank system.